DEPUTY UN HUMANITARIAN CHIEF TO VISIT SRI LANKA

(Colombo/New York: 18 January 2011): Ms. Catherine Bragg, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, will visit Sri Lanka from 19 to 21 January 2011

The primary purpose of Ms. Bragg's mission is to highlight the humanitarian needs in Sri Lanka and to advocate on behalf of the most vulnerable.

"Humanitarian work is about reaching all people in need and in particular the most vulnerable, providing them with emergency assistance and supporting them through their most difficult time. This includes helping them recover and rebuild their lives," said Ms. Bragg.

In the last week torrential rain has affected more than one million people in Sri Lanka's eastern and central districts, forcing up to 370,000 people to flee their homes, and has claimed 43 lives to date.

This is additional to the ongoing humanitarian concerns in the north, where 20,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) remain in Government-run camps since the end of the conflict in 2009, and those who have returned to their areas of origin are struggling to rebuild their lives.

The mission will be an opportunity to emphasize the commitment of the United Nations to the people of Sri Lanka during this major disaster and to rally donors to support and expand ongoing national efforts to respond to the growing humanitarian needs.

The United Nations and humanitarian partners are supporting the Government of Sri Lanka to provide critically needed emergency supplies such as safe drinking water, food, sanitation and emergency shelter, and will launch a Flash Appeal for emergency funds on 20 January.

The floods, which may have destroyed at least half of the season's harvest in the eastern province, will also have a severe impact on agricultural livelihoods in a region still suffering the effects of the 2004 tsunami and recovering from the decades-long conflict.

During her mission, Ms. Bragg will visit the north of the country where thousands have returned following the end of the conflict, as well as visit the worst-flood affected areas in the east.

She will also meet representatives from the Government, donors, and aid agencies.

Ends/.

For further information, please call: Stephanie Bunker, OCHA-New York, +1 917 367 5126, mobile +1347 244 2106, bunker@un.org; Nicholas Reader +1 212 963 4961, mobile +1 646 752 3117, reader@un.org; Elisabeth Byrs OCHA-Geneva, +41 22 917 2653, mobile, +41 79 473 4570, byrs@un.org.

OCHA press releases are available at http://ochaonline.un.org or www.reliefweb.int.

The mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors.